Apple tech worker opens up organic farm in Cork

TECH worker Conor McCauley doesn’t let the grass grow under his feet - he has set up an organic farm on four acres of land in Midleton.

It is called Yellow Belly Farm - a nod to his Wexford origins - and the 40-year-old Apple software engineer says: “I want it humming with life and producing bountiful harvests for the people of Cork.”

It is an ambitious venture.

“Can’t a boy dream?” says Conor, smiling, who is self-taught on the keyboard/piano and also a keen runner.

“I’ve been running competitively for about 10 years now and I love what it has given me in life,” he says. “It has given me great health and happiness and friends. It has taught me the value of patience, commitment and simple, hard work.”

Then there’s the farming.

“I’ve felt a pull towards the outdoors and nature for as long as I can remember,” says Conor.

It was in the unlikely environment of silicone valley that he tuned more into the magical rhythm of nature.

“During a six-month work secondment in California in 2019, I fell down the rabbit hole on YouTube and was mesmerised by Charles Dowding and Richard Perkins and what they were achieving with their no-dig method on small sale market gardens.

“In California, I was the furthest from a farm environment as I could be; in that way it was alien,” admits Conor. “The silicone valley is man-made place and can be claustrophobic.”

But it can also be a place where love is found.

“I met my partner Elena in California,” says Conor. “She works in UCC and is a big part of Yellow Belly Farm.”

The seed for Conor’s dream was sown in the USA.

“I knew when I got back to Ireland that I wanted to do something in this space,” he says.

“At that time, I was living in a small townhouse in Blarney with almost no garden. So I set up some small no-dig raised beds in the common area of the estate.”

He got a little help from his friends.

“I got the local kids involved and we grew some carrots, onions, garlic, broad-beans, potatoes and much more. I wanted to involve other people so they could see just what nature can do,” says Conor.

The great outdoors and the benefits of what the soil yielded grew on Conor.

“I was hooked, I knew this was where I was at home.

“The feel of my hands in the soil. The insects humming around me. The patience and care required to nurture plants. I loved the whole process,” says Conor.

“It worked like a charm.”

He became more and more immersed in the wonders of nature.

“I loved how nature constantly surprised me and yet at the same time was so predictable.”

Conor got busy on the land and in the kitchen using his produce.

“I loved how I could make a meal for myself from what was once a pinch of seeds,” he says. “I also knew that I knew very little and that this would be a lifetime of learning.”

What else did Conor discover?

“Being humble is important,” he says. “I also felt that this approach of not using nasty artificial inputs and growing as naturally as possible would leave a positive impact on the earth, along with providing me with my own food.”

Conor wanted to discover more.

“In late 2020, I enrolled in a two-year distance learning organic horticulture course, which I completed recently,” he says.

“This gave me the perfect grounding as well as some on-farm work experience and reaffirmed my dream of building something great.”

Conor ploughed on, always involving people in his love of the land.

“My classmates on the course came out to the farm, we had lunch, and we planted apple trees and set up polytunnels.”

Conor had found his calling.

“This felt like my purpose, and I had to follow it.”

Working the land and reaping the fruits of his labour worked a treat for Conor.

“It sparked joy. I was going to start farming; it was only a matter of time.”

But he needed land, a place to fulfil his purpose and to pursue his dream.

“Fast forward to summer 2021 and I finally came across a property that fit,” says Conor.

“It is a 3.8 acre holding with a home in Midleton. There was almost three acres of pasture, a bare green canvas ready to be transformed into paradise.”

Conor moved fast.

“I took the plunge, and I moved here in early 2022 and got to work immediately.

“I know now I’m on the right path. I love being out there and I love having to try my hand at everything.”

Like what?

“Like woodwork, plumping, building, growing. I’ve built a shed and undertaken the groundworks for a car park.

“My intention is that the car park will be full one day.”

There is also a flip side to making a dream come true.

“On the boring side of that is a commercial business,” says Conor. “One which needs to be lean, smart and efficient.

“I’m working patiently towards this, slowly building, defining my work flows and making plenty of mistakes, but always learning.”

The fruition of Conor’s dream is moving ever closer.

“One day soon I will invite the public onto the farm to enjoy the beauty, to lose themselves in nature, and perhaps leave with a bunch of delicious local and healthy homegrown produce.”

With summer-time approaching, the living is easy.

Conor’s mate Basel is wagging his tail happily and the frogs are croaking, springing in the pond.

“Basel was the last piece of the jigsaw!” says Conor.

The forest floor is soft underfoot and springy at Yellow Belly Farm. It smells and feels like paradise.

What is Conor’s vision for the farm?

“To build a lean, profitable and sustainable farm, to maintain a healthy work-life balance and protect my body.”

What else?

“To create an aesthetically pleasing, diverse, rich environment whare people can come to enjoy, to showcase organic principles, and educating people to stop using synthetic products to grow food.”

Yellow Belly Farm, gently sloping from north to south with wonderful rural view into the nearby town of Midleton, is a welcoming inclusive environment.

“I plan to host events like farm walks, dinners and day festivals, education events, etc,” says Conor.

He plans to change his pace of life too.

“Yellow Belly Farm will become a lifestyle for us, a change of pace, a place for a child to grow up in,” says Conor.

He knows what that is like.

“Growing up, we ran in fields and played in hay bales,” says Conor. “The sense of freedom was wonderful.”

Conor’s life is fulfilled.

“Out on the land, I feel alive,” he says.

He also intends to install pods and accommodation on the farm, so people can experience Yellow Belly Farm close up.